Monday, May 23, 2011

Rice Planting Matsuri

t6815

Its that time of the year again. In my neighborhood the month of May is spent planting rice. My neighbors dont go on vacation for Golden Week, the time off from their regular job is spent preparing the paddies and planting.

Down in Kawahira half a paddy remains unplanted......

t6836

Its waiting for the arrival of the procession from the local community center. Its Tauebayashi time again.

t6887

The maidens line up along the paddy and wait.....

t6891

While the farmer and his oxen do a ceremonial circuit of the paddy.

t6921

Then the drummers and singers begin to perform the rice planting song.

t6967

A man and a woman place a bottle of Sake at a sacred sprig in the center of the paddy, plant a few rice seedlings around it and ask the kami of the rice paddy to watch.....

9 comments:

  1. I was one of the maidens again this year. While fun, I wish they would have let us finishing planting the whole paddy. Just when I had got a good rhythm going!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this about Japan culture...every important moment is marked with a ceremony giving thanks. Even the simple moments can be marked with a simple arigatou!

    Oji San Jake...Thank you every time...and good Luck with planting this year!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your photos are brilliant! Absolutely beautiful photo journal! There is a blogger who visits my blog-he posts photos of Japan past...great pictures. You might be interested:

    http://www.mytravelsinjapan.com/

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Connie... good luck in Japan.... I already have Abrahams blog in my links list, though under the old name of Sendai^shi

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Lexi
    saw you there.... I missed last year,.. did they have the kids performing and planting last year?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I wish for the great of success in all of our destiny endeavors

    ReplyDelete